A north Minneapolis 18-year-old has been charged with nine counts of first-degree attempted murder in relation to a mass shooting late last summer in south Minneapolis that injured six juveniles and three adults, some seriously.
The same troubled location was the site of another mass shooting just last week when one person was killed, and three others were injured by gunfire.
The suspect now charged in the Aug. 20, 2023, shooting is Jaden Trejaun Butcher, who was arrested following his release from the hospital last week after being injured in another shooting in the Uptown area of Minneapolis on Monday. Police said over 100 shell casings were recovered by police and evidence indicated at least five guns were used in the Uptown shooting last week. Butcher was shot in the foot in that shooting.
The criminal complaint related to the shootings last August states that just before 6 p.m., a large group of people were playing dice on the sidewalk near East Franklin and Chicago avenues. A vehicle pulled up and two people exited; one holding a pistol, the other a “fully automatic rifle.” At least 42 rounds were fired, and nine people were struck by gunfire.
A ShotSpotter activation detected 28 rounds in one-and-a-half seconds, which indicated shots fired from an automatic weapon.
A clip of audio posted online following the August shooting indicated the sound of automatic gunfire.
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Seven 9mm shell casings and 35 .223 caliber rifle shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Police were eventually able to identify the suspect vehicle from surveillance images as belonging to the female guardian of Butcher. The complaint states that Butcher had fled from police in Golden Valley in 2022 in another vehicle belonging to Butcher’s guardian.
Police were also able to obtain cellphone records which placed Butcher’s phone at the scene of the shooting on Aug. 20.
In addition to the nine counts of premeditated attempted murder, Butcher is also charged with one felony count of fleeing police.
Injured in the shooting were six male juveniles: a 15-year-old, three 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds. Also injured were a woman, age 55, and two men, ages 18 and 48. Two of the 16-year-olds, the 17-year-olds and the 18-year-old suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds. The rest suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
The complaint states that Butcher “represents an extreme danger to the public” and a high bail amount was requested, accordingly.
Butcher made his first court appearance last Thursday and was granted a public defender. He remains in custody on $1 million bail and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on March 28.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
